How about renting?
A paddler died (I believe) last year or the season before when he was unable to pop the spray skirt and wet exit a rental kayak. Was it in MA? The guys wife was on a rampage trying to get legislation passed that all renters had to do a wet exit or instructed in doing one before they can rent a kayak. I believe she sued the rental Co. I never heard anything more on it. So, my word of advice to anyone who wants to loan their kayak to a newbe - don’t give them a spray skirt unless it’s a nylon that’s so loose it is falling off half the time. These things do happen even though they don’t often make the front page. The first skill you learn with kayak lessons is doing a wet exit and many times the paddlers are quite nervous.
I had a guy once try my wood OI and first thing he does is head straight out about 500 yards and capazises. He took a long, long time to come to the surface. He came up gasping and choking and here I am on shore helpless (like a fool) That was the last time a spray skirt went on a trial unless theyÊshowed me they had skills.
It was two or three years ago
In Buzzard’s bay----southeastern mass–the irony of the incident was the paddler was in a high end fiberglass sea kayak with a neoprene skirt—the combination of the fiberglass and the neoprene make for a really snug seal. From what I read the guide had him out in about 15 seconds and he was on top of the water, breathing and talking, then went into cardiac arrest.
Had it been an RM boat with a nylon skirt he probably just would have fallen out but still may have had the cardiac incident. There were at least two bills introduced afterwards but neither passed the legislature due to pressure by the paddling community.
It was in a Sea Kayaker Magazine article
The outfitter changed their name after that, and when I went to their website I found nothing about lessons other than corporate trips. So that little episode that was partly bad luck (getting a student with a cardio problem) may have forced them to change their business in other ways than just the name. I do think it’s a good idea to practice wet exits before going out, though. Wet exits are physically a piece of cake but the psychological block could be huge.
Years ago I talked with a paddler who worked as a kayak guide. He told me he had had one client on a river trip die, also due to heart problems. Trouble is, when the heart attack occurs under water, the existing cardio problem gets less notice than the circumstances under which it occurred, and people look around for someone else to blame.
I agree
that wet exits as well as assisted re-entries would be a good thing to practice before any trip, even a guided one. The problem is that requirement would really discourage many people from going(and paying) for guided trips–I don’t have a dog in that fight but I know that the owner of the business I’ve guided for wouldn’t like it.